The recommended west and southeast LRT routes were announced Thursday, routes which will have the ability to take a rider from west of the city all the way to Mill Woods in one single ride.
The west LRT corridor will go from Lewis Estates east along 87 Avenue, and will connect to downtown via Stony Plain Road, while the southeast corridor will travel from Mill Woods north through 75 Street, and Connors Rd. to downtown. The two corridors will link into one complete line.
One major difference in the new routes from the current LRT system is that this will be a surface, street-level LRT system.
“This is more urban, low-floored, and fits into the neighbourhoods and roadways with smaller scale stations,” said Bob Boutilier, general manager of transportation. “It’s truly a system that you can fit within existing neighbourhoods and use as a tool to promote redevelopment in other areas.”
In order to make the LRT street-level, some four-lane roads will be reduced to two-lane roads with one-way traffic going in either direction.
Some current bus routes will also be removed once the LRT is finally put in place.
